Vasudeo Gaitonde: the rebellious painter who ushered in a new era of Indian art

In 1963, Morris Graves, a famous abstract painter from the US, saw Gaitonde’s work during a trip to India and was deeply impressed.

He immediately sent a letter, external to Dan and Marian Johnson of the Willard Gallery in New York, describing him as “one of the best” painters he had ever seen.

“He is as good – or fantastic – as Mark Rothko at his best and will one of these days be a world famous painter,” Graves wrote.

“He is an abstract painter with something inexpressibly beautiful and beautiful. They are the most beautiful landscapes of the mind plus light.”

In 1964, Gaitonde moved to New York after receiving the Rockefeller Fellowship. The next two years were a formative phase in his career as the young artist had the opportunity to meet American modern artists and see their works, further developing his style.

In 1971, Gaitonde was awarded the Padma Shri, the fourth highest civilian award in India, for his outstanding contribution to the arts.

But despite his growing fame, he became increasingly withdrawn in the coming years.

His student and renowned artist Laxman Shreshtha tells in Naik’s book how MF Husain often tried to visit Gaitonde at his residence in Delhi.

“If Gaitonde didn’t want to meet anyone, he wouldn’t open the door, not even for Husain, who would sketch something on the door and go. That was Husain’s way of saying, ‘I had passed by’.”